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A good run or running for good

Well the preferred and open registration is over and the field is more or less set.
Currently there are over 600 folks on our waiting list to participate in either the 15 or 5k races.
Currently we have a bit over 90 charity bibs (as of this writing) that could make some of those folks wait a lot shorter.
Many changes this year, a new fundraising platform, CrowdRise and many new not for profits who’s mission span the gamut of our community needs. All the money stays local.
Perhaps our biggest change is giving our charity runners more time to raise money. In the past we would make mandatory that our runners would need to have hit their minimum prior to the race. This year we are giving our folks until August 1st (two weeks after the race has been run) to get their pledges in.
So, assuming you sign up to be a charity bib runner on April 1st you have 4 months, or roughly 18 weeks, to raise the minimum. If you need to raise $500 that’s a bit over $27 a week.
The first thing you need to do is choose an organization that resonates with you. If in some way a friend, family or yourself has been touched by one of these groups your sincerity will go a long way to achieving your goal. In the end it will be your friends who will get you to the financial finish line. Go to the charity bib icon at boilermaker.com and check out the 21 agencies in this year’s class.
While it’s great to dream about an Uncle Moneybags willing to totally underwrite your endeavor reality is usually far different. It’s simply easier to get 5 bucks from 10 people than 50 bucks from 1.
The old saying certainly fits here. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
So some ideas-
Give some of it yourself: it’s clearly an easier to ‘sell’ that people give to an organization you are willing to give to.
Give up that second cup of coffee that you buy, immediately put that money in a charity jar.
Does your company have a matching gifts program? No harm in asking.
Have a garage sale- a great way to clean up your house while raising some easy money.
A Bake sale, book sale, perhaps a raffle for a gift basket (try and get the stuff donated by merchants).
Recycling cans, ask friends neighbors to help.
Do you have a special talent that you can charge people for? Gardening, knitting or cooking class.
A final comment, while people are donating for you to run lets remember the core focus is to raise money for organizations that serve our community.
“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
― John Bunyan